Henrichsen



March 17, 1964 w. HENRICHSEN FLYING TOY Filed July 10, 1961 FIG. I.

INVENTOR. WILLIAM HENRICHSEN FIG. 5.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,124,898 FLYING TQY William Hamish-sen, Box 17, Edinhurg, NX. Filed July it 1961, Ser. No. 122,760 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-82) The invention relates to toys, and more particularly to the hand propelled flying wing type.

Toys are well-known which are of a type comprising one or more wing portions arranged radially, as in the case of a propeller, and a central spindle or the like by means of which spinning is imparted to the wing structure causing same to take off and fly. The flight initiating rotation of the spindle may be effected manually or by other means. Arrangements have been devised wherein the shaft is integral with the wing and also wherein the Wing and spindle are separate, with the aerodynamic lift of the rotating wing causing it to ascend clear of the spindle. The present invention, however, comprises an improved form of the latter type of toy and involves generally the provision of positive means to eject the wing from the end of the spindle.

Briefly, according to the invention there are provided a flying wing and a separate spindle by which spinning is imparted thereto, the spindle having means acting in a positive manner to cam the wing off the end of the spindle as the latter comes to rest after being rotated manually only a few revolutions. In certain prior art toys the spindle must be rotated until the wing reaches such speed that the wings own aerodynamic lift causes it to move off the spindle and into flight. By means of the above provision according to the invention, however, dependence is not placed wholly on the wing having reached such a given speed that it is ejected from the spindle structure of its own accord. Only a few revolutions of the spindle, between the bands, will be sufficient to place the wing in flight because the cam means will come into play as rotation of the spindle stops, thereby to lift the wing off the spindle.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the flying wing;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the spindle;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of the spindle;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the spindle;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation illustrating the cooperation of the wing and spindle as the hands are being manipulated to rotate the wing;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the spindle; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevation of the modified spindle shown in FIGURE 6.

The flying wing is generally indicated at 2, and may be formed from sheet plastic, metal, wood, paper or other stock. Wing 2 has the outline shown in FIGURE 1 and at its central portion has a round hole 4- therein. Adjacent the hole 4 the wing is bent slightly upwardly along the skew lines 6 and thence downwardly along the lines 8. The result of the bends along lines 6 and 8 is that the leading edges 10 of the wing are at a level above the flat central plane 12, thereby providing an aerodynamic angle of attack tending to lift the wing toward the viewer when it is rotated counterclockwise as indicated by arrow 14. Slots adjacent the leading edges 10 are provided for the purpose of effecting a whistling or whirring sound as the wing rotates.

Referring next to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the spindle is indicated generally at 16 and comprises principally a main hand portion 1.8 having affixed thereto a cross arm 20. Spindle 16 may be formed of plastic, with the cross 3,124,898 P atented Mar. 17, 1964 arm 20 being molded integral therewith, or of other suitable materials. Preferably the hand portion 18 is of a relatively small diameter, of the order of one-eighth of an inch, for reasons appearing hereinafter, and the upper terminal portion 19 should be dimensioned to fit loosely within the hole 4 in wing 2. Affixed to or integral with the cross arm 20 at each end thereof is a spherical ele ment 22, such elements being referred to hereafter as the cams.

The operative manipulation of the toy will be described with reference to FIGURE 5 particularly. In the use of the toy the wing 2 is dropped over the upper terminal portion 19 of the spindle and hand portion 18 is held between the flatly engaging hands H as illustrated. Upon relative motion of the hands to rotate the spindle counterclockwise, as indicated by arrow 23, cams 22 will be brought into engagement with the trailing edge portions 30, each of which constitutes in effect an abutment, and thereby cause the wing to rotate with the spindle. The above-described action is illustrated in FIGURE 5. It will be understood that the number of revolutions which can be imparted to the shaft by the hands in such a manner is limited, and therefore when this limit has been reached the spindle will stop rotating. It is possible that the manual rotation will have been suflicient to attain a speed such that the wing will ascend by virtue of its own aerodynamic lift. Even if this does not occur, however, as the spindle stops rotating the wing will continue to rotate relative thereto by virtue of its own inertia. This will cause the slanted underside 28 of the wing to strike the earns 22, thereby ejecting the wing as indicated by the arrow 31. As previously noted, the diameter of hand portion 18 is small. The reason for this, as will be understood, as that because of the small circumference thereof a given relative motion of the hands will cause the spindle to rotate many more times than if it were of a larger diameter.

A modified form of spindle is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7. The parts identified by primed reference numerals correspond to the parts identified by corresponding numerals in the preceding description. The primary difference involves the configuration of the cams provided on the cross arms 20 and 20. In the preceding description the cams were in the form of spherical elements 22, whereas in FIGURES 6 and 7 a single and slightly different cam 32 is provided. Cam 32, rather than being spherical, has a flat inclined cam surface 34. The function thereof, however, will be understood to be essentially the same as that of earns 22.

It will be understood that various departures from the specifically disclosed embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising in combination a flying structure and a launching structure, said flying structure including a central portion having an aperture therein and a plurality of aerodynamic portions having leading and trailing edges capable of producing an aerodynamic lifting force upon rotation of said flying structure in one direction, said launching structure including a spindle having a longitudinal axis, an abutment member having an upper surface secured to said spindle, the upper end of said spindle extending upwardly of said upper surface and passing through said aperture when said flying structure is in engagement with said upper surface, said launching structure further including means secured to said upper surface for engaging and imparting rotation of said spindle to said flying member and for camming said flying structure out of engagement with said upper surface upon continued rotation of the flying structure relative to the launching structure, said means comprising a pair of cam elements secured to said upper surface, said cam elements extending above said trailing edges of said flying structure and terminating below said leading edges ofsaid flying structure when said flying structure is in engagement With said upper surface and said cam elements being spaced apart on the abutment member a distance at least as great as the spacing between the trailing edges of a pair of said aerodynamic portions of the flying structure whereby said cam elements cam said flying structure out of engagement with said upper surface upon rotation of said flying structure into engagement with said cam elements.

2. A toy comprising in combination a flying structure and a launching structure, said flying structure including a central portion having an aperture therein and a plurality of aerodynamic portions having leading and trailing edges capable of producing an aerodynamic lifting force upon rotation of said flying structure in one direction, said launching structure including a spindle having a longitudinal axis, an abutment member having an upper surface secured to said spindle, the upper end of said spindle extending upwardly of said upper surface and passing through said aperture when said flying structure is in engagement with said upper surface, said launching structure further including means secured to said upper surface for engaging and imparting rotation of said spindle to said flying member and for camming said flying structure out of engagement with said upper surface upon continued rotation of the flying structure relative to the launching structure, said means comprising a pair of diametrically opposed spherical cam elements secured to said upper surface, said cam elements extending above said trailing edges of said flying structure and terminating below said leading edges of said flying structure When said flying structure is in engagement with said upper surface whereby said cam elements cam said flying structure out of engagement with said upper surface upon rotation of said flying structure into engagement with said cam elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

1. A TOY COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FLYING STRUCTURE AND A LAUNCHING STRUCTURE, SAID FLYING STRUCTURE INCLUDING A CENTRAL PORTION HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN AND A PLURALITY OF AERODYNAMIC PORTIONS HAVING LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN AERODYNAMIC LIFTING FORCE UPON ROTATION OF SAID FLYING STRUCTURE IN ONE DIRECTION, SAID LAUNCHING STRUCTURE INCLUDING A SPINDLE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, AN ABUTMENT MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE SECURED TO SAID SPINDLE, THE UPPER END OF SAID SPINDLE EXTENDING UPWARDLY OF SAID UPPER SURFACE AND PASSING THROUGH SAID APERTURE WHEN SAID FLYING STRUCTURE IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER SURFACE, SAID LAUNCHING STRUCTURE FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS SECURED TO SAID UPPER SURFACE FOR ENGAGING AND IMPARTING ROTATION OF SAID SPINDLE TO SAID FLYING MEMBER AND FOR CAMMING SAID FLYING STRUCTURE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER SURFACE UPON CONTINUED ROTATION OF THE FLYING STRUCTURE RELATIVE TO THE LAUNCHING STRUCTURE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF CAM ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID UPPER SURFACE, SAID CAM ELEMENTS EXTENDING ABOVE SAID TRAILING EDGES OF SAID FLYING STRUCTURE AND TERMINATING BELOW SAID LEADING EDGES OF SAID FLYING STRUCTURE WHEN SAID FLYING STRUCTURE IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER SURFACE AND SAID CAM ELEMENTS BEING SPACED APART ON THE ABUTMENT MEMBER A DISTANCE AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE SPACING BETWEEN THE TRAILING EDGES OF A PAIR OF SAID AERODYNAMIC PORTIONS OF THE FLYING STRUCTURE WHEREBY SAID CAM ELEMENTS CAM SAID FLYING STRUCTURE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER SURFACE UPON ROTATION OF SAID FLYING STRUCTURE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CAM ELEMENTS. 